3 Best Open Source Azure AD Alternatives
A curated collection of the 3 best open source and self-hosted alternatives to Azure AD in 2026.
Looking for a free, privacy-friendly, or self-hosted replacement for Azure AD in 2026? The top open-source alternative is Keycloak — Open source identity and access management.
Other highly rated open-source Azure AD alternatives include Authgear and Auth0.
Open source identity and access management
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution designed to add authentication and authorization to applications and secure services with minimal effort. It eliminates the need for applications to handle user storage, authentication, or login forms, providing centralized management for both administrators and users. - Single Sign-On (SSO): Users authenticate once and access multiple applications without re-logging in. - Identity Brokering & Social Login: Easily integrate social networks (e.g., Google, Facebook) or existing OpenID Connect/SAML 2.0 Identity Providers. - User Federation: Connect to existing LDAP or Active Directory servers or implement custom user stores. - Admin Console: Centrally manage applications, services, authorization policies, and user permissions. - Account Management Console: Users can update profiles, change passwords, set up two-factor authentication, and manage sessions. - Standard Protocols: Supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0 for broad compatibility. - Fine-Grained Authorization: Define custom authorization policies beyond role-based access control. - Themes & Extensibility: Customize the look and feel or extend functionality through code. - High Performance & Scalability: Lightweight, fast, and supports clustering for high availability. - Password Policies: Enforce custom password policies for enhanced security. Keycloak is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) incubation project. It is open-source, self-hostable, and supports various deployment options including Docker, Kubernetes, and traditional servers. The project is actively maintained and widely adopted for enterprise and open-source use cases.
Secure identity & authentication platform for developers
Authgear is a secure identity and authentication platform designed to simplify complex authentication requirements for developers. Whether you need passwordless login, biometric authentication, or enterprise SSO, Authgear provides a frictionless and scalable solution. - Enterprise-Grade Security: Adaptive MFA, attack protection, SMS pumping prevention, and biometric authentication. - Flexible Authentication Methods: Passwordless, social login, passkeys, WhatsApp OTP, and machine-to-machine tokens. - Single Sign-On (SSO): Seamless integration with enterprise identity providers for B2B and B2C use cases. - User Management: Self-serve settings and customizable user interfaces for branding. - Extensibility: Low-code integration with minimal development effort for rapid deployment. - Scalability: Built to handle growth from small projects to large-scale enterprise applications. - Compliance & Trust: GDPR-compliant with enterprise-grade security and high availability. Authgear offers a fully managed cloud solution with enterprise support. For self-hosting, the open-source authgear-server is available, allowing full control over deployment and infrastructure. The platform is designed for scalability, security, and ease of integration, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Secure authentication & authorization platform
Auth0 is a comprehensive identity management platform designed for both human users and AI agents. It provides secure, scalable authentication and authorization solutions with features like universal login, passwordless authentication, user management, and embedded login capabilities. - Universal Login: Single sign-on experience across all devices and platforms - Passwordless Authentication: Email magic links, SMS codes, and biometric options - User Management: Centralized dashboard for user profiles, roles, and permissions - AI Agent Identity: Specialized authentication for AI agents and MCP servers - Token Vault: Secure storage and management of API tokens - Breached Password Detection: Proactive protection against compromised credentials - Embedded Login: Seamless authentication within applications - Multi-Factor Authentication: Support for SMS, authenticator apps, and hardware keys - Social Logins: Integration with 40+ identity providers (Google, Facebook, etc.) - Customizable UI: Theming options for login pages and authentication flows Auth0 is a fully managed cloud service with no self-hosting option. The platform offers SDKs for 30+ programming languages and frameworks, including React, Next.js, Angular, Vue.js, and mobile platforms. Enterprise plans include dedicated support and compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR).
About Azure AD
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution designed to strengthen security by preventing identity attacks and enabling secure access to applications and resources.
Key Features of Azure AD
- Adaptive Access Control: Implements risk-based conditional access policies that dynamically adjust authentication requirements based on user behavior and context.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Enables seamless access to thousands of cloud and on-premises applications with a single set of credentials.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Provides additional security layers through phone-based, app-based, or hardware token verification.
- Zero Trust Security Model: Operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify" to minimize attack surfaces.
- Identity Protection: Detects and mitigates suspicious activities with AI-driven threat detection and automated responses.
- Hybrid Identity Support: Integrates on-premises Active Directory with cloud-based Entra ID for unified identity management.
- Developer-Friendly APIs: Offers robust APIs for custom integrations and automation.
- Compliance & Governance: Meets global compliance standards including GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
Tech / Self-Hosting
Microsoft Entra ID is a fully managed cloud service provided by Microsoft. It does not require self-hosting and is available as part of Microsoft’s enterprise security ecosystem. The service is hosted in Microsoft’s global data centers with built-in redundancy and high availability.